Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Sunday, Oct. 13
Morning and afternoon sessions
1210 N. Durand Road, Corunna, Michigan
Youth ages 12-17 who have completed a hunter safety course are invited to join in a guided, three-bird pheasant hunt. The event includes clay target shooting before the hunt and a lesson on cleaning birds after the hunt.
Lunch will be provided for both sessions. The cost is $30, and registration is required.
Nationwide event Oct. 9-10 offers hiring opportunities across several retail departments, with competitive wages and attractive benefits
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, North America’s premier outdoor retail and conservation company, is looking to hire thousands of seasonal, part-time and full-time Outfitters to serve customers during the holidays.
During a National Hiring Event on Wednesday, Oct. 9 and Thursday, Oct. 10, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s retail locations across the U.S. and Canada will conduct on-site interviews for local retail and restaurant positions from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Read more
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Nick’s Wild Ride Airs 7:30 p.m. ET on Fridays during “American Wild” Block
For the last nine years, country music artist and hunter, Nick Hoffman, of Nick’s Wild Ride has been taking audiences on an incredible global journey on Outdoor Channel. In his latest season, premiering September 27 at 7:30 p.m. ET, Hoffman promises more adventures, more food, culture, music and more history to get to the heartbeat of the locations he visits.
Since its inception nearly a decade ago, Nick’s Wild Ride with Nick Hoffman has featured destinations from Argentina to Europe, Kyrgyzstan to Africa, and Alaska to Arizona. Reflecting on these experiences, Hoffman remarked, “In my wildest dreams, I never expected the places this show would take me. Every location has been special and life-changing in some way, but if I had to pick a favorite, the first time in Africa was a life-changing event on many levels.” Read more
“…commissioners clearly show that sound scientific management was not a consideration in the decision-making process.”
On September 6, Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) and the Michigan Trappers and Predator Callers Association (MTPCA) filed legal briefs in their lawsuits against the Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC).
MUCC’s brief, which can be read HERE, argues that the NRC illegally closed Michigan’s coyote season for a quarter of the year in March of 2024 by failing to use the best available science, and focusing instead on unsubstantiated claims of negative public perception.
MUCC’s brief highlights the statements of the commissioners who voted in support of the closure, and those of the exceptionally few hunters who joined the commission in disregarding the principles of sound scientific management. The statements from the commissioners clearly show that sound scientific management was not a consideration in the decision-making process.
MUCC Chief Executive Officer Amy Trotter says that the public record is clear: The commission’s decision failed to abide by their legal charge and responsibility to keep game management decisions based in science.
“The voters of Michigan were clear when they overwhelmingly passed Proposal G: scientific data needs to drive our game management decisions,” said Trotter. “After reviewing the public record, it is abundantly clear the commission failed in following their legal charge. By relying on social pressures, real or perceived, the commission set a dangerous precedent where our outdoor heritage is threatened based on the social and political winds of the day.”
MUCC is joined in the lawsuit by MTPCA who filed a separate brief, found HERE.
MTPCA’s brief highlights how commissioners trusted the instincts of one individual supporting the closure to appease anti-hunting interests, rather than the proven record of sound scientific management as dictated by Proposal G.
MTPCA President Joe Velchansky says this issue is larger than coyotes, and the future of Michigan’s outdoor heritage is at stake.
“This issue is so much bigger than coyotes, the very foundation of Michigan’s game management is at stake,” Velchansky said. “The minute we as conservationists compromise our principles is the minute we lose the whole thing, and that is not something we are prepared to do.”
The NRC will now file a response brief, due to the court in mid-October.
For more information on MUCC visit mucc.org.
Contact: jtomei@mucc.org
For more information on MTPCA visit mtpca.com
Contact: merlejones336@gmail.com
This year, chronic wasting disease testing will still be focused in some areas of the northern Lower Peninsula as well as the Upper Peninsula. The counties for CWD testing in 2024 include Antrim, Arenac, Baraga, Benzie, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Clare, Dickinson, Gladwin, Grand Traverse, Houghton, Iosco, Kalkaska, Keweenaw, Leelanau, Luce, Mackinac, Manistee, Ogemaw, Ontonagon, Otsego and Schoolcraft.
In these counties a variety of sites will be popping up with at least one of the following depending on the county: drop boxes, staffed submission sites, and partner processors and taxidermists to assist with collection efforts. To find out about available sites near where you hunt, see the CWD testing page.
Historically, testing has occurred in and around areas where CWD has been detected to date.
Starting in 2021, the DNR began a rotational approach to testing for CWD around the state. With this approach, a group of counties is selected each year, with a desire to eventually test sufficient numbers of deer in every county across the state. This has led to detection of CWD in 13 of Michigan’s 83 counties, with Ogemaw being the latest in the fall of 2023. Read more
Wednesday, Johnny Morris, conservation legend and founder of Bass Pro Shops, was celebrated at the 35th Annual Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) Banquet and Auction with the highest award given by CSF, the Dingell-Young Sportsmen’s Legacy Award.
Named for conservation policy icons Reps. John Dingell Sr. and Jr., Rep. Debbie Dingell, and Rep. Don Young, the Dingell-Young Award was created to celebrate individuals who best exemplify the extraordinary individual and collaborative leadership of the Dingell family and Representative Young, and their shared dedication to the advancement of conservation efforts and our outdoor hunting and angling traditions.
To be eligible for the Dingell-Young Award, an individual must demonstrate leadership and long-standing dedication to advancing two or more of the following areas: national conservation policy, the role of sportsmen and women in conservation, expanding public access to hunting, fishing and/or recreational shooting, increasing the engagement of youth and underrepresented communities in sporting pursuits, and promoting our outdoor heritage in the policy arena.
“It is such an honor to be able to present my dear friend, Johnny Morris, with this year’s Dingell-Young Sportsmen’s Legacy Award. Johnny and I go way back and I have seen first-hand his passion and commitment towards our great outdoor traditions,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “Johnny is one of the greatest conservationists of our time and knows the vital contributions of our nation’s sportsmen and women towards the protection of our nation’s most treasured natural resources and I cannot think of anyone more deserving in being recognized as this year’s award recipient.” Read more
Sept. 12, 2024
LANSING, Mich. – With archery hunting season beginning , Oct. 1, firearms hunting season starting , Nov. 15, and early season hunts occurring this month, the Michigan departments of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Natural Resources (DNR) are reminding hunters not to eat venison from deer taken within three miles of Clark’s Marsh in Oscoda Township in Iosco County.
A Do Not Eat deer advisory remains in effect due to evidence that deer within three miles of the marsh were more likely to have various per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), including perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), in their livers and muscle tissue. The finding is included in the 2021 report PFAS levels in Michigan deer from the Oscoda area, Iosco County.
In addition, a Do Not Eat advisory for all fish and aquatic or semi-aquatic wildlife taken from Clark’s Marsh remains in place. This includes fish, aquatic and semi-aquatic mammals (including muskrats), amphibians (including frogs), mollusks (including snails), reptiles (including turtles) and arthropods (including crayfish). Read more
The Wild Sheep Foundation is donating $100,000 to Colorado’s Wildlife Deserve Better (CWDB) to defeat the ballot initiative Proposition 127 to ban the hunting and trapping of mountain lions, bobcats, and lynx. The Initiative will be on the state’s November ballot after obtaining the required signatures.
“This is wrong on so many levels, and it’s not just a Colorado issue,” said Gray N. Thornton, President and CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation. “Science-based professional wildlife management and the proud traditions of legal, regulated public hunting are increasingly under attack. This ballot initiative is all about out-of-state animal rights and anti-hunting extremists funding a campaign based on misinformation to elicit an emotional response from voters who are being swayed by toxic or misleading headlines.”
Marketed as the “Stop the Trophy Hunting of Mountain Lions” campaign, the initiative, if passed, would eliminate all hunting and trapping of mountain lions, bobcats, and lynx statewide, even though lynx is not a legally hunted species in the state.
“I guess they threw lynx in for effect,” added Corey Mason, WSF’s Executive Vice President of Conservation and COO. “That’s not where the misinformation ends, however. Anti-hunting groups are throwing the kitchen sink at this to confuse not only those who do not hunt but sportsmen and women as well. Their propaganda attempts to call into question proven wildlife management principles and undermines Colorado Parks and Wildlife. If you read all their hype, it’s a desperate attempt for a ballot measure that would tie the hands of Colorado’s wildlife professionals to act responsibly for all its wildlife and the safety of its citizens and disproportionately impact farmers and ranchers in rural communities.” Read more
Friday, Sept. 27, 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Glassen Shooting Education Center, DNR Rose Lake Shooting Range
14500 Peacock Road, Bath Township (Clinton County)
This hunter education field day designed for women also includes a Go Confident session that covers common concerns of women who are beginning to hunt on their own.
After completing the at-home, online portion of Michigan’s hunter education course, attendees will complete the hunter education field day and exam at the Rose Lake Shooting Range. After the final field exam and range exercises, attendees will participate in a special Go Confident session on basic scouting, orienteering, and tree stand and blind placement, etc.
This event is free, but registration is required.
Conservation First USA is excited to announce a unique opportunity for you to win one of eight big game hunt permit-tags in its special fall raffle. The tags (one each for mule deer, whitetail deer, bison, elk, pronghorn, javelina, mountain lion and black bear) grants you the opportunity to hunt almost anywhere in the state for 365 days — a rare and valuable chance for any hunter.
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